Force lasting machine



July 11, 1950 J. w. PRATT FORCE LASTING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 22, 1948 In van in)" 707212 W Pratt v'y $72 a flit omze Jul 11,1950 J. w. PRATT 2,514,512

FORCE LASTING 111151111111 Filed 051. '22, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I 102 j In van far 1 John W Pratt 92. 5 m omsy Patented July 11, 1950 FORGE LASTING MACHINE John william lfratt, Leicestennngland,assignor. to United Shoe Machinery.flornoration lilem ngton, 13 1-,. a cor-n nf gmw J r Application October 22, 1948, Sepialg-NmzSfifllfii lntGreat. Britain N oveinber; 18 194?:

This invention relates to force lasting mas. chines and His herein disclosed as embodied a, force lasting machineoithe type illustrated and. described in a 'copending application .for:

United states Letters Patent Serial No.- 24,5'2ji chineinposition to begin,operation.upon a par;

filedMayl, 1948 in the name of C'eeilJH.lFreer, in which application an; improved machine for; and method of force lasting shoes are broadly claimed. That-machine is adapted to operate 7".CIaiimS- (c1. re -1) tionare illustrated .in."th...accompanying drawmas. and. hereinafter described and claimed.

Referring a ,to the drawings; Fig. 1 is a sideelevation of an illustrative ma-V ti-ally .completedyshoe assembly;

Fig; 2 .1'5. .aplan view of .a portion of the,meclian-ism shown IinEig l Fig, 3 is. a,s1de e1evation of aportion of e the.

upon; apartially completed platform shoe which 19; mechanism, shownwin Fig 'l atqan intermediate may consist, for. example, of a shoeupper, a sock lining, and a platformrcover, a1l, ;.stit chedl together to form a unitaryassembly, This.. par,-l tially;completed shoe is mounted loosely upon a. last and the funotionof themaohine isto;

urge theshoe furtherheelwardly upon the last, To this end the heelward portion ofgtherplat form cover is turned heightwise.awayiromjhe last to form apocket and themacl'iine.ispro-i.

stage -oi the. operation;;,.

-F 'ig. a view similar to Fig.3. showin the oi-themachine;

posi onsof h w i ous members. at .the..QDmP1 ani m'show in F 55;. Fig,.aesidegelevatiqn, of a portion of the vided with a member ,whichengages within this so, mechanism shown. in 5.81 an intermediate pocket and which, whenoperated, exertsa heel; ward thrustagainst theupturned plati'orm cover.

The present invention is in, the natureof a. further development of, and improvement upon the Freer machine, and its object is to provide a. force lasting machine which not only. urges; the shoe, heelwardlyupon its last. but which also. operates upon the platform cover in sucha man ner as to prevent subsequent undesirable 1engthwisepacontractionfloi,the shoe.

In accordance with a feature of the inventiom the illustratedmachine is providedwithmeans, for. first forcing; a. shoe heelwardly. onvits last, and then for reversing. heightw'isethe position of the Lheel end of -.the .platform cover to cause. 5

it to hug the heel end of the last ,andthereby prevent undesirable forward creeping-,andoonsequent loosening, of thes'hoe onthelast.v The means for forcing the shoe heelwardly..com;-.-

prisesa member curved to conform 'to the out:

line-of the heel end of the shoeand adapte'cLftov engage within the .pocket formed .by theplat: form cover. .In the illustratedmachine thisvmemher is shaped likea shoe horn.

In accordance with a iurther feature-,z-llhewi-lw The purpose of such gripping or clamping-means is to prevent:platform--oovers of readily stretchable material irom' deforminggand thereby bet, az nsae d r m h wardthrust-ins. member,

Theseand om n-novel:i otu es f therin em as Fig. 9wis. an enlarged elevation showing "the;

arran ement of certain. parts.

Asgs'hown in .the.,drawings, the partially com-..

pleted shoe .assem-blytobe operated uponconsists ofayforepartupper-member 10., a heel end upper 30; member. 12 havingaheelstrap H, a forepart platform-cover IE6, 3,211 681. end platform cover l8, anda soekrlinin 20, (Fig, 2).-to which the upper members and the platform. cover members. are united .by a: peripheral seam 22 (Fig. 1). This partially completed shoe assemblyhas been loosely-mounted. upon-atlast2-4 which is supported vin invertedposition .upon a last pin26. The lastpin =26 is secured ina standard 28 rising from a baseiall which, is seeurelybolted to a work bench 32. Clamped tothe upper portion ofthe standard 28;-is a .braoketfillhaving an upstanding. saddle. Mi -which; embraces the cone oi thelast 24 to prevent turning of the last about thelast pin 26.

richer-n1 3.8 engea'geable within the :heel end; of thel-platform coverglfl 'is employedto exert anheela wardxthrust-upontheplatform-cover. Thislhorn; which is-shaped torconform to the; outline of the heel :end-of; the shoe; is Weldedatits upper end towa lug extending 'i' rom'a collardllireely rotatable about :a pin :42; secured; in and extending between a pair of parallel arms- 44. These arms. M,at their toeward- (with respect to direction in wh ch hB-z. shoe; extends) ends; are niv tally mountemnpon a;.;pin-.4 6 and fltxtheir iheelward has formed in it a slot 56 to receive thearrn 48,,

and the pin 52 bridges this slot. Thehlgclgjfl is shaped to conform to the outlineiof theh fil end of the shoe and at its heelward end islrecessed to.

accommodate the thickness of the metal'which forms the horn 38. The pin 50"is secure'dinand The block 54,

extends between the upper ends of a pair of parr allel lever arms 58 (only the near one of. which appears in the drawings) which extend downwardly upon opposite sidespr the last 24 and which at theirlower ends arefulcrumed upon a pin 50 secured in and extending transversely through the base 30. The arms 58 are long enough tobring the pin 50 about two inches above the sock lining 25 attire beginning of the operation and to enabledt to clear the heel end of the last 24 when the arms 58 are swung heelwardly. A pair of spacing collars 52 preferably welded to the arms 58 engage the sides of thearm 48 to hold the arm 48 centeredj upon the pin 55. A tension spring 64 anchored at one end to a hook on the arm 48 and at itsother end to a hook on the collar 40 tends to hold the arms 44 up against a stop 66 on the arm 48 and als'otohold the lower end portion of the horn 38 against the'bloclr54 and within the recess provided for it in the block. In this position the horn 38 extendsdown almost into contact with the sock lining 25-. The lower edge. of the horn 38 may be shaped to bring its central portion slightly closer tothe sock lining than its lateral portions. I v

Fulcrumed upon each projecting end portion of the pin 50 is a segmental arm :58. These armsf 68 embrace the base at and the 'standard28fand also the arms 58, and they, have heelwardly extending portions 10 which a're bent toward each other and joined together at a locality heelward of the base, and of the standard to form a lever arm. The heelward endof'the arm formed by the extensions I is pivotally cjonnected to the upper end of a treadle rod 12 which is normally held in an upper stopped position by the usual treadle spring (not shown) Secured upon the segmental portion Of each of the-(arms fifl'is a seementalblock 14, these blocks 14 being capable of bearing against their respective adjacent arms 58 when the treadle is depressed to swing the arms 58 in a clockwise directionas viewed in thedrawings. In order to provide a stop' to limit the heelward swinging movement of the arms 58, the extensions have shoulders or abutments 15' arms 58. Y

The operation of the machine as so far described will now be explained. Initially the mechanism carried by the upper ends of the arms 58 occupies an out-of-the -way position as far to the heelward side of the machine as permitted by the engagement of the arms'58 with the stops Hi. The operator begins by mounting the last 24 upon the last pin 26' with the toe 'end'of the last pointed away from' himto'facilitate manipulation of the shoe p'arts'uponthe last. He then draws the partially completed shoe assembly by hand as far heelwardly upon the last ash'e conformed on their inner faces engageable with the veniently can. Most shoes are loose enough to enable the heel strap M to be positioned over the heel end of the last without difficulty. However, if the shoe to be operated upon is unusually tight, the heel strap may be bent upward and laid over the forepart of the last. The operator then grasps the finger grip '41; and raises the mechanism associated with it well above the supporting pin 50 and swings this mechanism and also the arms 58 10" toewardly until the arms 58 occupy the positions in whichthey are shown in Fig. 1. The mechanism associated with the finger grip 4l is then let down to enable the block 54 to rest on the sock lining.

"The operator then gently depresses the treadle insuring the arms 58 heelwardly until the horn 3B comes'into engagement with the heel end of v the pocket formed by the upturned platform cover 18. As the block 54 and the horn 3B are thus moved rearwardly the horn 38 engages and passesov'er the seam 22 until it engages the fold between this scam and the platform cover. The operatorincreases the downward pressure upon' the treadle to urge the block 54 and the horn 38 rearwardly far enough to stretch the platform cover until its heel end overlies the heel end of the last as shown in Fig. 3. During this operation he may manipulate the upper of the shoe to facilitate its being drawn rearwardly, and to insure its proper positioning upon the last, by the tension on the sock lining. The operator may, when he considers it desirable, stretch the sock linin to bring its heel end somewhat beyond the end of the last. When he has stretched the sock lining to the desired extent and while holding it thus stretched by pressure on the treadle, the operator depresses the finger grip 41 to cause the horn 38 to turn the heel end of the platform cover Hi from the upstanding position shown in Fig. 3 to the reversed position shown in Fig. 4, wherein the platform cover hugs the heel end of the last and thereby prevents undesirable creeping of the sock lining and consequent loosening of the shoe upon the last. The horn 38 and the block 54, now free of the platform cover, ride off the heel end of the lasted shoe assembly as the arms 58 swing toward the operator into their out-of-the-way position. The last, with the shoe assembly on it, may now be removed from the last pin.

To prevent excessive stretching of the platform cover, the side and rear surfaces ofthe last 24 may be recessed to a depth substantially equal to the thickness of the material forming the platform cover, such recess being coextensive with the platform cover when the latter is turned down around the last.

The modified machine shown in Figs. 5 to 8, inclusive, is adapted for operation upon shoes having platformcovers of flimsy material which might stretch unduly under the force exerted by the heelward thrusting member, thereby allowing the heelward thrusting member to ride over them without transmitting a heelward pull into the sock lining. This modified machine, as presently will be pointed out, is provided with means for clamping the platform cover against the heelward thrusting member to prevent yielding of the platform cover.

Certain of the members shown in Figs. 5 to 8, inclusive, are similar to corresponding members of the machine already described and are identified herein by like reference numerals. Such members consist of the shoe parts numbered ill to 22, inclusive, the last 24, the last pin and its supporting structure numbered 25 to 34, inclu- 5 site; the fulcrunipin 611 and zthez-segmental arms together with their associated parts -.*and treadle connections-numbered '68 1to-l6 inclusive;

Extending'up'wardly from r the projecting ends of the "-fulcrumpin tnand" embracing the base 30 area"pair'of ar'ms I60 Which,.11n1ike,"the arms 58; are mot-straight but which, at their-upper portions: are arched "toward each :other'over the last Extending upwardly from each ofith'e .inner ends ofthe arched portions 'of thearms El 'is an ear I02.- A short pivot pina Hlflextends between and is carried by these ea'rs.

A'pair "of parallel spaced links I06 are'lpivotally mounted at' theintoeward ends upon the 'pin Ill iithe links 'I'Il6"-'b'ei-ng within the ears I B2 and being adj'acent respectively to the ears; -.The:1inks I06 at their heelward ends are ipivotally conn'ec'ted to a cross pin I'ilB to which .also'rarep'ivmany-connected the upper ends of a pairro'f sickleshaped levers I I0. These-leversI'IIl extend-down wardly 'a-nd' h'eelward'l-y from "the pin I08 in parallelrel'atiori witha' space 'of about one'in'ch between them.- A -tn'sion spring I I2 is connected at one end to' the midportion of the pin H18 Land at its opposite end 'to a lug- II3 projecting from 'an'upstandin'g flange I142 This flange" H4 is integral with and extends upwardly from themidportion of -a metal plate II 6 'having an'outline which, as seen in-pian (Fig-'6) is generally similar to'that presented "bi the heel seat-portion of ala'st ofordiriary shape; Theplate I I6 corresponds to the block 1 54 0f themachine previously described.

A 'lost"motionconnection 'b'e'tween the flange H4 'and'th'e pin IM is provided in the form o'f'a slot II8 formed in tHe 'iiange H4 and so arranged that when the plate H6 "is resting on thesocklin'ihg of a shoe to be -operated upon the pm "I M- mavmove to and fro along "the slot without disturbing the position= of T the plate II 6 heightwise. 'The flange Illisc'eritialiZed with respect to the pin 'IM by means of spacer rings I2I!(Fi"g. 6) of adiamet'er greater than the Width of the slot H8 and disposed between the flange H 4 and thelinks'l 06.

Extending through the flange IM aboutahal'f inch below the lower edge of the slbt- I'I'8 isa pin I22, The arched upper endportionsof the arms Iflil-are highenough toclear the pin I22.

'On' the opposite'end portions of'the'pin I22 and closely adjacent "to the opposite side faces of the flange I I 4 are pivotally mounted a pair ofparallel arms I2'4 whi'ch constitute the toeward portion of a hand lever I26; The arms I24 extend heelwardly, in a direction approximately parallelto that of the; links I06, between the sicklesha ped' levers III]; to which they are pivotally connected by'apin I28. The locationand the arrangement of the pin I04 and of the pins I98, I22 and I28 provide a more or less parallellink motion for imparting a downward-clamping movement to the sickle-shaped levers 'I I'll ondepression'of the hand lever I25. The slot I I8 permits swinging movement of the leverarm I ill! in a clockwise direction-as viewed in Figs; 5, '7 and '8' to swing the sickle-'shap'ed levers I I '8' into 'a clamping position (as-will presently be explained-l without afiecting the position of the plate llfii Normally the spring I I2iho'lds the-plate I I6 in such a position as tocause .th'e- Ie'f-t h'and or toeward-end :ofthe'sl'o't 111 8130 engage the pm 1:04, with theilinksilhfi'and the arms I2 8 in upraised 'position'about thekpin 1504 and the'pin I2 2 .re-

spectively and with theupp'er edges of the arms I Meahutting: against .':;stops:.lr3 III textending'vi'rom opposite .f aces tot :thesfiange I-S I 4: .In this "position; as ishown inifFig-ga the whole assembly ofeparts carcriedzby the t'pin I M'may b.e:swung:;bodily about the 'pinliIM-ras apivot byemeans ofthelhand lever i215? without changing: the :relative' settings. ofv the :parts inclucle'd' inzsaide assembly.

iMounted onv the: pin vIZB-i'for. free pivotal rmove ment is :aLh'ornwI 32.1siinilar to .thefhoin. 1 8 of2the machine :shown' in Figs; 1 .to .4; inclusive. The 1ower=edge portion ofthe horn "I32 has .atcurvatune similar ito thate-oIi the. outline 10f thez heel end portion of the plate I;-I E; Iti'should; be enoted that the 110311- lr32 ;-;unlike=":the :horn 38, isanot directly-'biasedvby. spring action 'butz'hangstfreely hetween the :flanger: I14 and the sickle-shaped.

levers "Ia-til." When the .ispririg rl I 2 iszcontra'cted and the'arms I-Miare held against the" stop I30 as isirown *in eE'i'g. .5,'ithe"horn I32 is held." raised with its-'bottom iedge slightly above the level of the plate 'l I6 'and iengagingiza narrow sloping ledge e134 (Fig.1 9): between :the 'sheelward edge of the "flange :ItMrand the'heelwardend ofthe plate H6.

The IOWGI!" endportions of the sickle-"shaped levers IItllaare integral with-rand are bridged -by a :block 136, the,-toeward face of 1 which :is concave andis-substantiallycom-plemental to the convex outer surface-gof-the horn I3'2.- The-sickleshaped levers I I il together with the block I 36 constitute a gripper device :for clamping the heelward-endlof. theqplatformacover I8 against the horn I32. Thelower: portion of..the..outer surface .of thenhorn and ,theheelward edge of the plate I.-I6 beroughened.bytheprovision of transverse setrationsgto augment :theing-rippingactionzonithe platform cover I8. The icon.- cave .surfaceof'the block I.3,6.is preferablysmooth to avoid .ma-rringthat surface of the platform cover whichis -.visible in the finishedrshoe,

The operation of. the .modified. machine will now be explained. Initially the mechanism catried bythe pin .IM occupies anout-of-itheway position, determinedlby the stops 16,.to the heelward side ofrthe machine. The.operator.be'

gins'by mounting the last 24 upon the last pin 26' and drawing the partially vcompleted'shoe assembly by hand as .far heelwardly upon the last as he conveniently can. He then grasps the lever 126 and raises the mechanism associated with it well above the pin I04 and swings this mechanism and also the arms I60 toewardly against the stops M. The mechanism carried by the pin :IMis 'thenvlet' down to enable the plate I16? to rest upon the sock lining. When the parts are in, this position,';as shown in Fig. 5,' the' spring 112 will hold the'block I36"we1l out of contact with-the horn I32, leaving ample space-for theplat'form coverIB to project-between these parts. The bo'ttom'edge-of the horn I32 at this time =is=resting on the ledge I 34 The-"operator now gently depresses the treadle, causing the arms I B0 to transmit a heelward thrust upon thelinks I06 to bring the horn I32 into engagement with the heel end of the upturned platform cover I8. As theplatfori'n cover tends 'to' resist the heelward thrust of the horn I32; the pin I'M travels 'heelwardl-y' along the slot I'IB, overcoming the tension of the spring H2 and causing'the sickle-shaped levers III) to swing- \in a clockwise direction about the pin I28; The Egi'ip'per block I 36 thus closes upon the :heel endcof .the platform cover It and. clamps it against the 'outer'iaceof ithezhorn I-32, the

'horn' itself 'being'sustained -.-'agains't thisnclamping pressure, and also against the resistance of the platform cover, by the heelward edge of the flange H4. The block I36 and the horn I32 thus constitute a pair of grippers between which the platform cover is clamped. When the platform cover has been thus gripped and the swinging of the sickle-shaped levers III! has been arrested, continued depression of the treadle causes the heelward thrust of the links I06 to transmit a corresponding pull on the arms I24, this pull being transmitted to the flange II4 through the pin I22. The horn I32, and the gripper block I36 in clamping relation to the horn, are thus moved as a unit heelwardly and the heelend of the platform cover I8, being clamped between them, transmits a heelward tension into the sock lining 20 which serves to draw the shoe assembly heelwardly upon the last. The operator meanwhile has both hands free for smoothing the forepart of the upper and making such manual adjustments as may be required to insure proper assembly between the shoe and the last. The operator continues to depress the treadle until he sees that the heelward edge of the plate I I6 has moved into register with or slightly beyond the heelward end of the sole plate on the last bottom and isin a position to permit the horn I32 to move down along the extreme heel end of the last. The positions of the several parts at this time are shown in Fig. 1, from which figure it will be seen that the platform cover is still held clamped between the horn I32 and the block I36.

In order to reverse the platform cover and. bring it down into a position where it hugs the heel end of the last, the operator depresses the hand lever I26. During the initial downward movement of the hand lever I26 the horn I32 rides heelwardly off the ledge I34 and moves down past the heel end of the plate IIG. Continued downward movement of the horn turns the platform cover down and causes it to hug the heel end of the last, as shown in Fig. 8. The downward movement of the lever I28 serves to rock the sickle-shaped lever III] and the block I36 in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in Figs. 7 and 8, thereby releasing the platform cover from their grip. The operator may aid in the opening of the gripper block I36 by slightly releasing the pressure on the treadle at the moment that he depresses the hand lever I26. After the platform cover I8 has been turned down around the sides of the last to retain the shoe assembly in lasted position, the operator raises the hand lever I26 to lift the plate H6 and its associated parts away from the shoe assembly and then swings them clear of the last by pulling the hand lever I26 toward him so as to cause the lever arms I to move into engagement with the abutments I6. The shoe assembly together with its last 24 may then be removed from the machine.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

I 1. In a force lasting machine, a support for a last on which is loosely mounted a partially completed shoe having at its heel end a platform cover turned heightwise away from the last, and means for first forcing the shoe heelwardly on the last and then for reversing heightwise the position of the heel end of the platform cover to cause the heel end of the platform cover to hug the heel end of the last and thereby prevent undesirable lengthwise creeping of the shoe and consequent loosening of the shoe on the last.

2. In a force lasting machine, a support for a last on which is loosely mounted a partially completed shoe having at its heel end a platform cover turned heightwise away from the last to form a pocket, a member engageable with the interior of the pocket formed by the platform cover, means for forcing said member heelwardly against the pocket to urge the shoe further on the last, and means for moving said member in a direction to reverse heightwise the position of the platform cover to cause the platform cover to hug the heel end of the last and thereby to prevent undesirable lengthwise creeping of the shoe and consequent loosening of the shoe on the last.

3. In a force lasting machine, a support for a last on which is loosely mounted a partially completed shoe having at its heel end a platform cover turned heightwise away from the last to form a pocket, a horn curved to conform to the outline of the heel end of a shoe and adapted to interior engagement with the-pocket formed by the platform cover, means for moving the horn heelwardly against the pocket and for causing it to exert heelward pressure on the platform cover to urge the shoe further on the last, and means for moving the horn heightwise of the last to cause it to reverse heightwise the position of the platform cover, thereby causing the platform cover to'hug the heel end of the last to prevent undesirable lengthwise creeping of the shoe and consequent loosening of the shoe on the last.

l. In a force lasting machine, a support for a last on which is loosely mounted a partially completed shoe having a platform cover stitched to its sock lining and turned ,heightwise away from the last to form a pocket at the heel portion, a member slidable toewardly and heelwardly on the sock lining and having its heelward portion shaped to the outline of the heel end of a shoe, a horn curved to conform to the outline of the heel end of a shoe and adapted to be urged heelwardly by the slidable member into engagement with the pocket formed by the platform cover, means for sliding the slidable member heelwardly and for causing it to press the horn heelwardly against the platform cover to urge the shoe further on the last, and means for moving the horn heightwise of the last to cause it to reverse heightwise the position of the platform cover, thereby causing the platform cover to hug the heel end of the last to prevent undesirable lengthwise creeping of the shoe and consequent loosening of the shoe on the last.

5. In a force lasting machine, a support for an inverted last on which is loosely mounted a partially completed shoe having at its heel end a platform cover turned up from the last to form a pocket, a pair of grippers for clamping between them the platform cover, a pivotal connection about which one gripper can fulcrum into and out of clamping position relatively to the other, said pivotal connection being positioned above the last and the grippers extending down from the pivotal connection for engagement with the upstanding platform cover, and means for moving the grippers first into cover-clamping position and then heelwardly to urge the shoe further on the last.

6. In a force lasting machine, a support for a last on which is loosely mounted a partially completed shoe having at its heel end a platform cover turned heightwise away from the last to form a pocket, a member engageable with the interior of the pocket formed by the platform cover, means for forcing said member heelwardly against the pocket to urge the shoe further on the last, and means for holding the platform cover against said member to prevent the plat form cover from slipping away from said memher while said member is being forced heelwardly.

7. In a force lasting machine, a support for a last on which is loosely mounted a partially completed shoe having at its heel end a platform cover turned heightwise away from the last to form a pocket, a horn curved to conform to the outline of the heel end of a shoe and adapted to interior engagement with the pocket formed by the platform cover, means for moving the horn heelwardly against the pocket and for causing it to exert heelward pressure on the platform cover to urge the shoe further on the last, means for moving the horn heightwise of the last to cause it to reverse heightwise the position of the platform cover, thereby causing the platform cover to hug the heel end of the last to prevent undesirable lengthwise creeping of the shoe and consequent loosening of the shoe on the last, and means for holding the platform cover clamped against the horn to prevent the platform cover from slipping away from the horn while the horn is being moved heelwardly.

JOHN WILLIAM PRATT.

REFERENCES CITED UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Sargent July 3, 1888 Number 

